Bill George
Bill George, former CEO of Medtronics and now Harvard professor, was a great choice to open the World Business Forum 2009. Having attended a reception he threw for the Blogger’s last night (where he gave us a signed copy of this book, 7 Lessons for Leading in a Crisis), I was able to catch a glimpse into his philosophies and ideas. I have to admit, I liked what I heard.
He came right out with an unfortunately very male analogy, saying that being a leader us like being a great athlete. Sometimes your throw touchdowns and other times its interceptions. The parallel was drawn to both the leader and that athlete doing the best they can under the circumstances they had. Obviously he’s not a Dallas Cowboys fan, but I digress. The point he was making is that failure comes with the territory and it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a career.
He then got talking about our current economic crisis. He felt strongly that it isn’t over yet but, and I love this analogy, he said “A smooth sea never created a great mariner.” He asserted that a crisis really creates opportunities for leaders to really shine. I agree – it is all in how you look at it and the attitude you choose.
He reiterated over and over that one of our biggest challenges was in creating jobs, asserting that small businesses were indeed our best option for doing so. I took it as a call for entrepreneurship and couldn’t agree more. He actually said that instead of spending money to bail out GM, we should be taking that money and investing in start-up companies. I, of course, know several entrepreneurs who would wholeheartedly support that agenda.
He then spent some time giving us a preview of his 7 lessons for leading in a crisis, which are:
- Face reality, starting with yourself
- Don’t be Atlas – get the world off your shoulders (another very male analogy)
- Dig deep for the root cause
- Get ready for the long haul
- Never waste a good crisis
- You’re in the spotlight – follow “true north”
- Go on the offense (versus defense) – focus on winning now
One of the last comments he made (more than once) was that markets never come back the same after crisis. To me, I think this provides the perfect opportunity for innovation.
Lastly, he got on a soap box I often frequent: you don’t have to be the one to change the world on your own, but you do have to do your part. Kind of like my snowflake story. We both agree – you should never doubt your role in changing the world because you do have a role, no matter how big or small.
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Tags: #wbf09, Business, Small business, Startup company, world business forum
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Bill George on Leading Through Crisis
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“Face reality, starting with yourself”. This in my opinion the foundation to face a crisis of any kind. No dreams, no past, just the present facts and the available tools.
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